Books by Karen Schroeder Sorensen

Fringe Rhetorics: Conspiracy Theories and the Paranormal identifies the rhetorical similarities of conspiracy theories and paranormal accounts by delving into rhetorical, psychosocial, and political science research. Identifying something as ';fringe' indicates its proximal placement within accepted norms of contemporary society. Both conspiracy theories and paranormal accounts dwell on these fringes and use surprisingly similar persuasive techniques. Using elements of the Aristotelian canon as well as Steve Oswald's strengthening and weakening strategies, this book establishes a pattern for the analysis of fringe rhetorics. It also applies this pattern through rhetorical analyses of several documentaries and provides suggestions for countering fringe arguments.

This book uses classic and modern rhetorical concepts to investigate what made Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage a rhetorical masterwork. It examines how kairos, ethos, "ethos" (a type of forum or framing), and mythos contribute to its persuasive power.